Start – 7:00 AM, 35°F, at a pond along Long Draw Road (USFS Road No. 209) 0.25 mile SW of the junction with USFS Road No. 196 S of Hanna
Heh, so much for a bright, cheerful morning in May! Yesterday evening thunderstorms severe enough to prompt temporary flash flood warnings had swept through the Black Hills region. A chilly fog now hung in the mountain air at the appointed meeting place.
Lupe’s spirits weren’t dampened at all. She was looking forward to a romp in the hills with Rizzo, Buddy and Josh Hilpert again. Perhaps this weather was only par for the course? The only other time Lupe had gone on an expedition with the Hilperts was on an unseasonably cold early November morning more than six months ago. Not only had there been snow on the ground, but a confusing dense fog to contend with then, too.
Lupe and SPHP had arrived first, but scarcely a minute went by before the roar of an engine could be heard. Rizzo, Buddy & Josh pulled up in their red Nissan pickup. Lupe barked an excited greeting. Rizzo and Buddy piled out and ran around sniffing eagerly. They were excited, too!
Josh said it had been raining hard earlier in Sturgis. He had almost called SPHP to confer about the situation. Wasn’t raining here, though. Everyone agreed this should be a good day. The fog would just lend an air of mystery to today’s explorations. Chilly as it was, this was nothing compared to how cold it had been back in November.
After brief preparations, Expedition No. 230 was underway! Everyone headed SSW on Long Draw Road. Buddy and Rizzo led the way, running and sniffing as they pleased. Lupe stuck closer to Josh and SPHP, apparently listening in on the conversation.
The plan was to explore SW up Ward Draw. A branch of the canyon would eventually turn SE, ultimately leading to a line of ridges and hills that could be followed to the day’s ultimate goal, Peak 6701, or as Lupe knew it, 2K Peak.
Lupe had been to 2K Peak once before, more than 5 years ago. That time she had approached it from the Custer Peak (6,804 ft.) area, an entirely different direction. Orange “2K” markers along a nearby USFS road had caused SPHP to nickname the mountain 2K Peak. Hearing this story, Josh thought the orange markers likely designate a snowmobile route, which might well be the case. Didn’t matter, though. As far as Lupe and SPHP were concerned, Peak 6701 was still 2K Peak.
Long Draw Road is a good gravel road. A mile went by quickly, and led to a fork. The expedition left Long Draw Road here, taking much more primitive USFS Road No. 209.1A instead.
A short trek on USFS Road No. 209.1A led to a couple of ponds. Perhaps they were old beaver ponds? No beavers seemed to be around now.
Farther on, a large gash appeared on a mountainside to the E. A huge, ugly jumble of deadfall timber covered the area below this gash. Josh speculated that the gash may have been the result of old mining or quarry work?
A tributary of East Spearfish Creek flowing down Ward Draw was more scenic. No. 209.1A was sometimes quite close to it. Lupe stopped briefly at some of the nicer spots along the stream. An 8 foot waterfall was found at one spot, but was rather inaccessible due to the forest.
Josh told several interesting tales. One was about seeing a rare snowy owl near Green Mountain (7,164 ft.). Another was about a girl he knew who had recently been snake bit after stepping on a rattlesnake while descending Bear Butte (4,422 ft.). Only a week before, Rizzo and Buddy had each had their own close encounters with a different rattler.
Going up Ward Draw the expedition was gradually gaining elevation. Lingering in dark recesses of the forest, patches of hail from last night’s storm were becoming increasingly common. The hailstones were all marble-sized or less.
After a little while, a dilapidated shack appeared L (SE) of the road. A mostly downed barbed wire fence surrounded the general area. Josh, Rizzo and Buddy went over to check out the shack, but Lupe and SPHP were leery of the barbed wire. Josh reported back that the shack’s floor was rotted out. The stream could be seen flowing right beneath it.
Meanwhile Lupe and SPHP had spotted a horizontal red wheel about 50 feet downstream. The red wheel appeared to control flow from a culvert below it. Water gushed from the culvert, but no surface stream was seen between the shack and the culvert. The stream was being diverted from beneath the shack to the culvert. The reason for such an arrangement was a mystery.
As the expedition continued up Ward Draw, the canyon floor gradually narrowed. A barbed wire fence in poor condition appeared between the road and the creek.
The barbed wire fence went on and on. USFS Road No. 209.1A began to deteriorate rapidly. Eventually there were two barbed wire fences, one on each side of the stream. By then the road had vanished.
The double fenced area didn’t extend any great distance. The fences met and ended near a pile of debris. Springs immediately beyond the fences were the source of the stream. Past this area Ward Draw was dry.
Ward Draw remained quite narrow for some distance. Fortunately, the canyon did not end abruptly, nor was it choked with deadfall. A game trail provided a convenient path forward. Less fortunately, forest hid details of the canyon’s structure. An expected “T” where Ward Draw splits did not materialize. Had it been missed? Between the forest and the fog, it was hard to tell.
Josh consulted a couple of compasses without learning much. The NW side of the canyon wasn’t nearly as high as before. It would have been easy enough to climb up and out of Ward Draw, but it seemed best to stay in the canyon as long as a route through was open.
The expected “T” in the canyon finally did appear. A second one was reached shortly thereafter. Lupe chose the L branch both times. Ward Draw was taking the expedition SE now, and beginning to widen out again. However, the very bottom of the canyon had become a narrow notch full of deadfall timber. Another path discovered on the L side of the valley stayed higher and avoided most obstacles.
Ward Draw faded away as a canyon, becoming more of a shallow, broad valley. Meadows appeared.
The maps showed a big power line ahead. It couldn’t be much farther. Sure enough, Lupe did come to it. Just before reaching the power line, a dirt road cut across the upper end of Ward Draw. A map check revealed that this had to be USFS Road No. 206.1A.
Some discussion ensued over whether it would be better to follow No. 206.1A and the power line L (NE) to the top of a nearby ridge now, or to keep going straight SE up the rest of Ward Draw before making the turn. It was decided to keep going SE. After making some progress, a barbed wire fence blocked further advance. Instead of going through the fence, the expedition turned NE.
Another game trail was discovered. 0.25 mile on the faint trail brought everyone up to the top of a broad flat ridge at 6,600 feet elevation. While it seemed like Lupe was on the right track to get to 2K Peak, the fog was denser than ever up here. Visual confirmation was impossible.
The game trail turned SE, which was the right direction. Few obstacles were encountered in the open forest, so progress was rapid. Before long, though, the trail disappeared. So did the ridge. The expedition arrived an edge. The edge wasn’t particularly sharp, but the terrain dropped away steeply enough.
Which way? Hard to tell. There should have been a view here, but nope – nada. The fog was pea soup. This gloomy, confusing spot was quickly dubbed Perplextion Point.
The air seemed colder than ever. Lupe, Rizzo and Buddy were all wet from roaming in the tall grass. Happily none of them seemed to mind. Both of Buddy’s rear legs were quaking as though he was shivering, but Josh said that was a normal peculiarity for him. Buddy’s rear legs quake even in July.
The faint ghostly outline of a few trees appeared a little to the R (SSW). Those trees appeared to be on slightly higher ground. If Lupe was on the correct ridge, that must be the way to go.
Deadfall timber was abundant as the party progressed along the rim of the high ground. Juniper bushes covered the forest floor. A woven wire fence in poor condition was encountered and crossed. Progress was slow, but there wasn’t much reason to hurry. What good would it do to reach 2K Peak in this fog anyway?
After a 10 or 15 minute march, a halt was called at a large log. May as well stop for lunch! Lupe had been to Grandma’s house yesterday, and Grandma had provided her with a supply of fried chicken and chocolate chip cookies from Safeway. Loop had enough to share with Rizzo, Buddy and Josh. Everyone agreed that fried chicken and chocolate chip cookies hit the spot. The large log was dubbed “the cafeteria”.
The trek SE through the forest resumed. Maybe stopping for lunch had been a good idea. After going down one slope and up another, suddenly the day seemed brighter. The fog wasn’t as dense as a little while ago.
Suddenly it became clear the fog really was dissipating. It all happened very quickly. Although the sky remained overcast, a ridge could be seen back to the N. Within minutes, Custer Peak (6,804 ft.) was in sight!
Two hills could now be seen ahead. One of them was probably 2K Peak. The whole expedition hurried on toward the closest hill. When rock outcroppings began appearing in the forest, SPHP took it as an encouraging sign. However, the rocks soon played out. The hill flattened. No, this wasn’t 2K Peak.
Toward the SE end of the first hill, Lupe started losing elevation. The shattered remains of a forest were seen on even lower ground ahead.
Two nearby hills could be seen from here. One was to the ENE, the other to the ESE. The ESE hill was highest and a bit farther away. This was the same more distant hill everyone had seen not too long ago. Lupe and SPHP were virtually certain it had to be 2K Peak.
A valley had to be crossed to get there. Heading straight toward the mountain proved to be a mistake. The deadfall was terrible! Josh had purchased new hiking poles recently, and found them to be extremely useful. SPHP was glad to have the hiking poles gifted by Jobe Wymore last summer. Lupe and Buddy navigated the deadfall fairly easily, but an old leg injury made getting over all the dead trees difficult for Rizzo.
Once past the deadfall, only an easy climb to the summit remained.
Yes! This was it! 2K Peak! Even though Lupe hadn’t been here in more than 5 years, there was no doubt about it.
The whole party arrived at the top of 2K Peak at the brightest part of the afternoon. While many Black Hills peaks, even some of the highest ones, have little to offer in the way of views due to dense forests, Lupe knew all along that 2K Peak wouldn’t disappoint. Josh was impressed with the sweeping panoramas in most directions.
2K Peak’s gently rounded summit ridge was about 150 feet long. The top was mostly open ground covered with small rocks interspersed with short vegetation. A depression in the limestone existed near the NE end. The NW side of the ridge was forested, but the views were great in every other direction.
Five years ago Lupe had climbed 2K Peak from the S. The Carolina Dog had come upon some interesting limestone formations at the upper SW end of the mountain. These formations were somewhat lower than the summit ridge, but Rizzo, Buddy and Josh ought to get to see them. Loop led the way over there.
A separate limestone platform stood alone below the highest limestone formations. It was only 8 or 10 feet high, but was another great vantage point. Lupe and SPHP went down to the lower platform. Josh looked even more dramatic now up at the crest of the upper formations.
Josh, Buddy and Rizzo decided to try out the lower limestone platform, too. Buddy got partway up, and Josh made it to the top. Rizzo couldn’t climb it at all. Poor dejected Rizzo stood at the base of the formation whimpering for Josh to come back down.
Two hours had gone by since leaving the cafeteria log. A second rest break was in order. This time Josh doled out genuine beef jerky and Cliff Bars. Everyone enjoyed relaxing on the hillside.
Eventually the time arrived to bid farewell to 2K Peak. The entire party returned to the summit for a final appreciative look around.
The return trip was one of discoveries! First, Josh promptly discovered an ant metropolis high up on 2K Peak’s N slope.
Next, a much easier route was discovered back to the ridge leading to the power line and Ward Draw. The terrible deadfall timber could be avoided by staying higher up and farther E on the way N, before finally turning W and crossing a saddle.
Josh made the third discovery, too – a Morel mushroom! SPHP doesn’t know a thing about mushrooms, but Josh said Morel mushrooms were a delicacy. He only found the one, though, and its stem had been broken before he found it, so this one was no longer fresh.
The fourth and most significant discovery was made a little later while traveling the ridge NW. Rizzo was tired and lagging behind. Buddy and Lupe were out front leading the way through the junipers on the forest floor. They made the discovery. SPHP started yelling at them to come back as soon as SPHP saw what it was. Josh began yelling, too.
Lupe returned, but Buddy didn’t at first. Unfortunately, Rizzo charged forward to see what the commotion was all about. What Buddy and Loop had discovered was a skunk. All 3 dogs got sprayed, but Buddy’s situation was by far the worst. For a few minutes, a thick drool dripped from both Buddy’s and Lupe’s mouths. Lupe felt sick. She hid beneath a juniper bush looking perplexed and miserable. Buddy couldn’t have felt any better.
The fragrant dogs all recovered from the initial shock amazingly fast. Soon everyone was underway again, but the skunk episode had put a real damper on the mood. Josh, especially, was depressed by the notion that he was going to have to spend Saturday night dealing with 2 stinky dogs. No way around it, though. Buddy was just too bad.
All former thoughts of possibly making a loop back exploring the ridge SE of Ward Draw were now rejected. Best to just return to the vehicles as soon as possible along the known route down Ward Draw.
Rizzo again stuck close to Josh, but Buddy and Lupe resumed their joint explorations leading the way. The whole world must have stunk for them now, but surprisingly these partners in putrid both seemed to be having fun again. Maybe they figured the best time to go skunk hunting was when the worst that could happen already had? Thankfully, they didn’t find another one.
6:52 PM, 40°F – Well, it was over. The Expedition No. 230 adventures up Ward Draw to 2K Peak and back would be remembered for some time to come. Certainly wouldn’t be possible to forget them before that odor subsides. After exchanging good-byes with Rizzo, Buddy and Josh, Loop and SPHP headed for home.
At home, SPHP was busy unloading the G6 and turned around to see a sly, innocent-looking Carolina Dog begging for a treat from the neighbors at Dog Heaven. SPHP yelled not to let her in, but it was too late. The stinky Dingo had already dashed inside to claim a prize. She was promptly ejected, but got to keep the treat.
Loop really hadn’t gotten skunked too badly. Buddy had shielded her from the worst of it. SPHP did nothing about it. Loop didn’t even get a bath. For a day, the Carolina Dog slunk around, ears drooping, looking guilty and depressed. She knew her new perfume wasn’t fashionable. By the second day, though, the odor had greatly diminished. By the third day, it was virtually undetectable.
As for how things turned out at the Hilpert household, SPHP hasn’t yet had the courage to inquire. There had been talk of a joint expedition to the Cave Hills in NW South Dakota sometime in the fall. Maybe by then the whole ordeal will all be hilarious? Or maybe not. Interested in how Buddy, Rizzo and Josh fared? A certain American Dingo invites you to tune in again in 6 months!
Lupe treasures collected – 6 aluminum cans, 1 plastic bottle, and several miscellaneous items.
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